Energy Department network hit by cyber attackers

Feb. 4, 2013 - 04:47PM
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The Energy Department suffered a cyber attack last month that compromised the personal information of several hundred federal and contractor employees, the agency said in an internal email to staff Friday evening.

The attack, which occurred in mid-January, targeted computer networks at Energy’s headquarters, according to the email. Energy is working with federal law enforcement to determine the nature and scope of the attack and the potential impacts to staff and contractors. The department would not say what personal data was compromised but said no classified data was stolen.

Energy said it is increasing monitoring across all department networks and is deploying specialized defense tools to protect the department’s sensitive assets.

Meanwhile, employees have been told to encrypt all files and emails containing personally identifiable information, including files stored on hard drives or on the shared network. Also, they have been told not to store or email non-government-related personally identifiable information on Energy network computers.